Photographic processing apparatus



April 1968 R. 1.. EASTLAND 3,377,055

PHOTQGRAPHIC PROCESSING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 23, 1966 In V672 2 0 g /Qzymmmz L EELSZZmJ United States Patent ()fihce 3,377,055 Patented Apr. 9, 1968 3,377,055 PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESSING APPARATUS Raymond L. Eastland, Petersfield, England, assignor to Eastland Engineering Limited, Petersfield, England, a British company Filed Sept. 23, 1966, Ser. No. 581,585 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Sept. 23, 1965, 40,611/ 65 2 Claims. (Cl. 259-72) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An automatic dish agitator having a plate as a support surface subject to agitation by a motor driven cam in contact with four vertically acting plungers to raise and lower the plate.

The present invention relates to photographic processing apparatus and provides an arrangement for automatically agitating the contents of photographic processing dishes.

According to the invention there is provided an automatic dish agitator comprising drive means, a rotary cam arrangement coupled to said drive means to be driven in rotation thereby, a plurality of vertically acting plungers disposed so as to be raised and lowered in predetermined sequence by said cam arrangement as the latter rotates and a support table for a dish, said table being disposed above the upper ends of said plungers so as to be tilted thereby as said plungers are lifted and lowered.

A preferred form of a dish agitator in accordance with the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing and comprises a support surface or plate 10 of quadrilateral form on which the dish to be agitated, together with its heater if necessary is supported, and which rests on the tops of four quadrilaterally spaced vertically acting plungers 11 arranged to move axially through aperture guides 12 on a stationary support 13. Each of the plungers 11 is located centrally of one edge of plate 10. Beneath the stationary support 13 is arranged a rotatable cam arrangernent comprising a cam plate 14, the outer edge of which is fiat around most of its periphery and has a raised cam contour 15 extending over one third of the peripheral length of the cam plate. Plate 14 is mounted for rotation with an output shaft 16 of a conventional speed reduction gear indicated schematically at 17 and driven by a conventional electric motor indicated schematically at 18.

When each of the plungers is in its lowermost position its upper end is flush with the upper face of stationary support 13 and the plate 10 rests upon the support 13 in the region of such plunger.

As the motor operates the plate 14 is rotated and each of the plungers 11 is lifted and lowered in sequence to tilt the support plate 10 and agitate the contents of a dish supported therein with a non-swirling motion which improves the performance of the dish contents in developing or fixing, or washing, sensitised paper or film being processed in the dish.

It will be appreciated that more or less than four plungers 11 may be provided and more than one raised cam contour may be provided on cam plate 14.

Also the support surface or plate 10 can be supported solely by the upper ends of the plungers instead of by the stationary support 13.

I claim:

1. An automatic dish agitator comprising drive means, a rotary cam arrangement coupled to said drive means to be driven in rotation thereby, four vertically acting plungers disposed at intervals around a circle traced out by said cam arrangement during rotation thereof so as to be raised and lowered in predetermined sequence by said cam arrangement as the latter rotates and a support table for a dish, said table being disposed above the upper ends of said plungers so as to be tilted thereby as said plungers are lifted and lowered, the table having a support surface with apertures therein in register with said plungers, and said cam arrangement is arranged to reciprocate each of said plungers between positions in which the upper end of each plunger is respectively flush with the upper face of said support surface.

2. An automatic dish agitator according to claim 1 wherein said support surface is of quadrilateral form with each plunger disposed centrally of an edge of said support surface.

WILLIAM I. PRICE, Primary Examiner. 

